Storm in a teacup?

"We're closing the office tomorrow, everyone work from home and stay safe."

This was a message that many of us heard last week as the UK was hit by storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin. High winds and rain caused injuries and sadly a small number of people died. There was damage to property and disruption to transport.

Our response to that message was to sort-of shrug and just get on with it.

One of the silver linings in this particular storm cloud (sorry for the pun) is how we have normalised remote working over the last two years. We have COVID to thank for providing the urgency, and technology for the solutions.

Two years ago, business continuity plans were activated and IT teams were rushing around to equip people with the tools they needed to work from anywhere. Many organisations had continuity scenarios that included pandemics and bad weather, but not all were as prepared as they could have been.

This is a legacy of COVID. Our collective ability to quickly pivot to an alternative working model was possible because we've had to do things differently over the last couple of years. From a business continuity perspective, the pandemic has provided us with the answers and the reality check that all those 'scenario planning' days many of us took part in could never quite replicate. The pandemic isn't over, so more learning will come I'm sure.

But, this last week I reflected on how quickly and easily we were able to respond to another business continuity event. How fantastic! I posted on Twitter that kids may never experience schools being closed due to snow, because technology has enabled schools to quickly pivot to home learning. Sorry kids. Sorry parents. Sorry teachers!

I wonder whether this move to remote working during the storms prevented more injuries and deaths during the storms. We'll never know. Of course, remote working doesn't suit all people and not all jobs can be done from anywhere. But maybe, just maybe, those of us that did work remotely meant that those who didn't were less inconvenienced by delays to public transport or traffic jams. We have technology to thank for that.

It's important to remember what we've learned and to keep investing in technology and risk management so that we can all respond well to whatever challenges come next.

As a qualified coach, I can help you to be more self-aware and confident in your abilities and address work challenges. Reach out if you'd like to discuss coaching with me. I offer career/work coaching for people in any role. I am able to offer a blend of coaching and mentoring for people in IT and change roles, particularly managers or aspiring managers.

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